Friday, April 29, 2011

Just three weeks after Balmain announced that it was parting ways with Christophe Decarnin, its creative director of five years, comes the news that fellow Frenchman Olivier Rousteing is taking over.

It has been confirmed that Rousteing will supervise the design and development of the brand's men's and women's ready-to-wear collections. Since joining the luxury label - which is famous for creating ripped jeans that cost upwards of £1000 - in 2009, Rousteing had been in charge of the womenswear studio.

Raised in Bordeaux, Rousteing completed his fashion studies at the École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD) in Paris in 2003. He then spent five years at Roberto Cavalli, where he designed both the women's and men's ranges.

Rousteing's debut for Balmain will take place during Paris Fashion Week this coming October, with a collection for spring/summer 2012. He told WWD how he wanted to ensure that the label, which was founded by Pierre Balmain in 1945, "always remains one of the leading brands that others look to as a reference".

Christophe Decarnin was notably absent from his last catwalk show for the house in Paris. Balmain's chief executive officer Alain Hivelin told press at the time that he was "too tired" to take a bow after the show, which led to unconfirmed reports that Decarnin was suffering from depression and that he did not share the same view as the CEO in regards to the future of the label.

Whether Rousteing continues with the same sexy, rock'n'roll vision that his predecessor's success was built upon remains to be seen, but one thing we're sure will stand is those ultra-expensive price tags and perhaps a whole new wave of 'Balmania' along the way.